Trade pays off big for Allen, Chiefs
Nobody was less surprised than I was by the Kansas City Chiefs’ decision to send defensive end Jared Allen packing to Minnesota. To say the least, Allen was persona non gratis in the organization; Chiefs president Carl Peterson all but made that clear to me during the 2007 off-season.
Working-class Chiefs fans really liked Allen’s hustle and the violence he wreaked on the field. Last season, after Peterson threw down the gauntlet and challenged Allen to prove he was worth franchise-player money, Allen delivered by leading the league in sacks with 15 1/2 . Allen, quite simply, manned up.
The season before, Allen hadn’t even led the Chiefs in sacks, and he was threatening to hold out for a new contract — something Peterson promised not to do, citing issues of Allen’s character. Allen racked up two DUI arrests in Kansas City, and Peterson didn’t think he was a prudent investment.
“If [Allen] gets another DUI … forget an NFL suspension, he’s going to go and serve a jail sentence,” Peterson commented.
During the 2008 off-season, Allen — who maintains that he quit drinking — opened up a bar call Jared Allen’s Sports Arena and Grill. The bar trades off Allen’s persona and his jersey number — 69. The drink of the house is a plastic football filled with Everclear and fruit punch, a concoction he calls “Jared Juice.” His marketing slogan? “Come to Jared Allen’s … where we wine ‘em, dine ‘em and 69 ‘em.”
Real classy, Jared.
If he wanted to remain a Chief, the bar had to be the final straw for Peterson and the franchise. Check his comments about the team’s philosophy in an interview with The Associated Press after the deal to Minnesota.
“You never want to get rid of a good football player. Jared Allen’s a very good football player. I don’t think anyone does,” Chiefs GM Carl Peterson said. “However, based upon what compensation you might acquire and where the philosophy of this organization is today, this is absolutely the best decision for the Kansas City Chiefs organization, now and in the future.”
In the end, the bar might have been Allen’s finest investment and probably not a bad one for the Chiefs. The Chiefs, who already had the fifth overall selection in last month’s draft, added Minnesota’s No. 17 pick overall, giving them six of the first 82 picks and 13 altogether. Allen picked up a $77 million paycheck in the deal.
Not bad for a 26-year-old. Let’s just hope he doesn’t celebrate the payday at the bar.